1. Field of Invention
Embodiments relate generally to voice verification, and more particularly, to systems and methods of verifying the identity of an authorized user for enabling secure access to information or data services via a device.
2. Description of Related Art
Some conventional computing systems accept user-entered identifying information, such as a password or a Personal Identification Number (PIN), for verifying the identity of an authorized user before permitting the user to access certain secured data or functions in or through the computer system. For example, the user may type the identifying information on a keyboard of a personal computer or a touch screen of a mobile computing device, such as a cell phone. These techniques require the user to touch or otherwise mechanically manipulate the input device as the information is entered, preventing hands-free operation. Increasingly, however, hands-free operation is desirable, particularly for mobile applications as a matter of convenience and other purposes, such as compliance with various motor vehicle laws restricting the use of mobile devices.
Some conventional hands-free technologies use the human voice as a form of input. Voice verification technology has been used for identifying an individual based on a model of the individual's voice. Such a technique is premised on the fact that each human voice is different, akin to a fingerprint, providing a mechanism for verifying the identity of a known individual using his or her voice. Voice verification takes, as an input, spoken words and compares them with a voice model that is uniquely associated with the individual. A confidence score represents the probability that the speaking voice matches the enrolled voice samples of the individual(s) used to create the model. The results of the comparison may be used to identify and/or verify the identity of the person who is speaking. However, voice verification has had limited application for securing access to information and data in mobile devices partly because of the encumbrances associated with known voice enrollment techniques (e.g., including requiring the user to perform a special procedure for enrolling their voice into the system). Furthermore, voice verification has been known to perform better when multiple voice samples are collected from a speaker over a period of time. Additionally, known voice verification techniques do not work well in situations where multiple users use the same device because such techniques are often limited to recognizing the voice of only one user.